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Biggles Looks Back/plot
Chapter I: Out of the Past Over dinner, Erich von Stalhein drops a bombshell: "Did you ever wonder what became of Marie Janis?" Von Stalhein explains that she did escape from France in 1918. Now after a long silence he had received a letter from her. She had, it seemed, been residing at her old hometown of Rodnitz in Bohemia. Biggles surmises from the letter that Marie is not well. The letter has the tone of a farewell: she says she would like to see Biggles just once more. Von Stalhein leaves saying he will be in touch. Chapter II: Accusations and Explanations Over the next few weeks, Biggles becomes morose and appears preoccupied. His colleagues can't endure the tension any further and demand to know what is going on. Neither Bertie nor Ginger know the background about Marie so Algy fills them in. Biggles calls on von Stalhein but finds that he has gone overseas. Chapter III: The Clue After another ten days, a postcard arrives for Algy, posted from Geneva. It is a picture of the Cafe Wagner in Rodnitz. The only words state that the wine there is excellent. Biggles surmises that von Stalhein has gone after Marie and that he is in trouble. Biggles and co. begin planning to go to Bohemia. Chapter IV: First Night in Bohemia Posing as buyers for a British glassware firm, Biggles and Bertie arrive in Rodnitz and go to the Cafe Wagner. They can't see von Stalhein but a violinist circulates in the room from table to table, finally stopping at theirs. Biggles looks him in the eye and realises it's him! Von Stalhein tells them to meet at the yard behind after closing time but beware of surveillance. Chapter V: Von Stalhein Explains In von Stalhein's lodgings in the yard, he tells Biggles what happened. He had wanted to give Biggles a nice surprise by bringing Marie to see him. But soon after arrival in Rodnitz, he had the misfortune to meet one Hans Reinhardt, a former Secret Service officer whom he disliked and who was still working for the local secret police. Trying to explain his presence, von Stalhein told Reinhardt that he was broke and looking for work. Reinhardt told him there was an opening for a violinist at the Wagner. Von Stalhein had to accept the suggestion and in any case hiis money had been stolen. At the Cafe, von Stalhein had managed to convey a postcard to Algy via a Swiss tourist. He had also learnt some background about the Janis family from the zither player in the cafe band. The Janis residence was the Schonschloss castle on the outskirts of town. But for unknown reasons it was now a prohibited area under armed guard. Chapter VI: A Party and a Reconnaissance The next day, to live their cover, Biggles and Bertie visit the glass works. After being cordially hosted, the director of the firm offers to loan them his car and driver to take them to see the sights. Biggles takes advantage of this offer which would give him some "official status" to traveling to the outskirts of town. After pretending to see the sights, they send the car off, with the intention of walking back to their hotel. They note significant landmarks. The castle lay on a steep hill. Beside the main road was the Voltana River which had cut a deep flat valley. Part of the valley floor was cultivated and flat enough to land an aircraft. They go up the track leading to the castle but are stopped by a squat bow-legged man who appeared to be a gamekeeper or forester. Chapter VII: Trouble at the Cafe Wagner That night Biggles and Bertie can't find von Stalhein at the cafe but he manages to make contact with them and secretly meets them at a churchyard. He had been dismissed from his job. The cafe owner didn't give a reason but von Stalhein surmises it must have been Reinhardt's doing. Chapter VIII: Heavy Going The next day Biggles and Bertie head out to the castle. Instead of using the track to the main entrance, Biggles proposes to climb the steep face of the hill on which the castle stands. This would not be patrolled and once on top, there was ivy along the castle walls which allowed one to get up to the parapets. They start their climb at nightfall but halfway through, they hear a car chase, multiple gun shots and then a car crash on the main road by the hill. It can't have anything to do with them but even so, Biggles decides to wait until the commotion dies down before resuming the climb. Half an hour later, the chase car departs and all is silent again. But nearby a twig cracks and there is a low whistle. It's von Stalhein! The security police had finally decided to arrest him but he had stolen a car and escaped. Chapter IX: The Secret of the Castle They continue the climb up the hill. At the top, Biggles climbs some ivy up the castle wall to a balcony with a lighted window. There's a woman inside but he can't be sure so he asks von Stalhein to come up and have a look. He taps a code knock and enters when the woman opens the window. He summons Biggles in. Marie's inside! For Biggles, it's a dream come true. "Am I forgiven?" she asks. "Between you and me, there never was anything to forgive," he replies. Marie explains the situation. She had been kept under virtual house arrest in the castle because hidden in it is her family secret: the ancient crown of the kingdom of Bohemia, a powerful political symbol which the present regime very much wanted. She would be willing to leave the country knowing she could.t come back, so long as she could be sure the crown and the other of her family treasure didn't fall into the hands of the present regime which she detests. But she had been ill and doubts she can take am ardous overland journey. Biggles promises to arrange something. Meanwhile, von Stalhein could hide in the balcony where there is a stone guardhouse. Biggles and Bertie return to the hotel, stopped only once by a policeman to check their papers. Chapter X: The Problem Next morning Biggles and Bertie get an official visit from Reinhardt. He seems satisfied by their answers. Thereafter, Biggles and Bertie visit the glassworks again and then the churchyard, seeking some privacy to discuss their options for taking Marie and von Stalhein out of the country. Chapter XI: The Plan That night, von Stalhein contacts them with news: Marie has been given a week after which, if she did not hand over the crown, the castle would be demolished and she would be taken away. Von Stalhein then leaves, after giving them directions for a secret entrance to the castle from the ruins of an old hunting lodge in the forest. He had come this way, and Biggles could use it later, to avoid the main road. Next morning, Reinhardt turns up again, to present a portfolio of photos of the river valley because Biggles had earlier said he like the scenes there very much and would like to photograph them. This was a shrewd move because now Biggles no longer had an excuse to go along the river valley--he already had photos. But it could cut both ways: the photos showed fields where a plane could land--exactly what they needed/ There is now some urgency so Biggles firms up their egress plan. Bertie would go home, ostensibly to seek an extension of their currency limit to buy more glass samples. He would then obtain, through private means, an suitable aircraft, a De Havilland Dove, and then return for the rest of them five days later. It was a rush job which Biggles hated, because the shortness of time left no room for a backup plan. Chapter XII: A Shock and a Journey Next morning Bertie leaves for Austria by coach. Reinhardt watches from a distance, He is clearly puzzled because the two Englishmen are doing exactly what they should be doing as per their cover. But towards evening, Biggles senses trouble when he notices a black van pull up outside the hotel entrance. He doesn't wait to find out, but escapes the building through a fire exit and makes his way to the ruined hunting lodge to wait. He had earlier given von Stalhein an appointed time when he would be there. At the set time, a figure emerges from the shadows. He is Max, the bow-legged gamekeeper who had stopped him and Bertie earlier. He and Greta are Marie's family servants at the castle. Max takes Biggles via a tunnel into the castle. Chapter XIII: Reinhardt Makes a Call Biggles tells von Stalhein and Marie about their escape plan. He also believes that by now the secret police must have linked him with von Stalhein--that would explain the black van at the hotel. Now Reinhardt comes to call on Marie. He tells her not to be alarmed if she sees some engineers about the castle taking measurements. Also, that she should inform the guards if she sees any strange men about. From hiding, Biggles overhears the conversation which tells him a lot, mostly by what Reinhardt doesn't say. It seems clear that he doesn't yet connect Marie with himself or von Stalhein. Chapter XIV: More Problems The next day, Biggles sees a complication to their escape plan. The rain has caused the river to rise. Could Marie ford the river, now so much deeper? Worse, from their hiding place on the balcony, Biggles and von Stalhein see Reinhardt's men laying barbed wire around the castle. On the plus side, Greta and Max have been able to produce a pair of leather reins, which tied together, was better than a rope for descending the castle walls. Chapter XV: A Change of Plan The bad weather continues into the following day but such events cut both ways. The dain causes the soldiers laying the barbed wire to seek shelter. On the ground beneath him, Biggles sees a pair of wire cutters. Exactly what he needs!. He gets von Stalhein to let him down by the leather reins. But before he gets back up, he has to hide as Reinhardt comes strolling past with a subordinate. What Biggles overhears is instructive. The subordinate wants to continue his survey inside the castle and particularly Marie's balcony. Biggles hurries up wall to warn Marie. Chapter XVI: The River Crossing To deny permission to survey the balcony would raise Reinhardt's suspicions. so Biggles and von Stalhein go through the tunnel and hide in the ruined hunting lodge while the guards survey the balcony. They make their way back when it is time to depart for the rendezvous with Bertie. Some guards are below the wall but Max distracts them by starting a straw fire near the stables where they are billeted. Von Stalhein, Marie and Biggles descend the castle wall, cut through the wire and approach the river. They rope themselves together and ford the river and wait for Bertie. Chapter XVII: The Final Hours There is the distant sparks of anti-aircraft fire: Bertie must be on the way. There is a risk that the towns on the path of the plane would be warned, and that would mean Reinhardt. But that can't be helped. Biggles and von Stalhein indicate a flarepath with torches and Bertie lands safely. Von Stalhein and Marie get on board. Biggles is about to follow when the plane is caught in a spotlight and a submachine gun opens up. He is hit and stumbles. Von Stalhein and Marie are out in a flash and drag him into the cabin. Biggles awakes in a hospital in Nancy. Ginger tells him Marcel had fixed that up. Meanwhile Bertie and von Stalhein had pushed on to London. Raymond would meet them at the airport to help clear Marie's luggage through customs. Luggage? Biggles is puzzled. Ginger is surprised he never suspected it. Marie had a small bundle which contained the Bohemian crown and a large quantity of jewels. How It All Ended The sale of Marie's jewels yields a considerable amount. Marie settles down in a cottage in a Hampshire village which von Stalhein and Biggles visit frequently on weekends. Category:Plot summaries